Blasting-powder composition



Patented June 29, 1926.

UNITED STATES isesse PATENT FFICE.

CARL D. PRATT, OF TAMAQUA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ATLAS POWDER COM- PAllTY, OF W'ILMINGTGN, DELAWARE, A CORIORATION OF DELAWARE.

"BLAsTINe-rownan oonrosrrron.

N-o Drawing. Original application filed. May 31, 1924, Serial No. 717,149. Divided and this application filed June 4, 1925.

My invention relates to improvements in "blasting powder compositions, and it has for its object to provide a new and highly us ful commercial blasting explosive which will'possess characteristics of safety far beyond those of ordinary black blasting powder. This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial Number 717,14Ufiled May 31, 1924 and is intended to cover, specifically, the use of ammonium chloride, in conjunction with the ingredients ofblack blasting powder and a carbohydrate or carbohydrates.

The record of the Bureau of Mines of the United States, covering the period from 1908 to 1923 shows that seventy-one coal mine explosions have been caused directly by the use of blackblasting powder or by black blasting powder and dynamite, killing morethan eight hundred men, injuring others and causing untold property damage. This serious situation can be largely corrected by the substitution, for black blasting powder, of what are known as permissible explosives, that is explosives which have passed certain tests prescribed by the Bureau of Mines. Tests conducted by said bureau, and verified in actual coal mining operations, have demonstrated conclusively that a permissibleexplosive has a very much shorter and cooler "-fi'ame than black blasting powder'and a very much cooler flame than any other high explosive.

lVith the foregoing facts in mind it has been my aim to provide a series of blasti'n g powder compositions, which have de creased tendencies, compared with current commercial grades of blasting powder, to ignite inflammable gases and dust or mix tures thereof; as for example, those occuring in coal mines.

It should be expressly understood that my invention is not concerned with so-called high explosives, but is concerned entirely with the type of so-called low explosives, herein referred to as blasting powders.

High explosives include both individual compounds and mixtures of ingredients, which are able to suddenly decompose in the manner of a detonation, through almost instantaneous disintegrations and reactions, as influenced by heat or shock or both. Low explosives, on the other hand, consist only of mixtures of ingredients, of such Serial No. 35,617.

nature as to react with each other, in the form of a rapid combustion, as distinguished from a sudden disintegration, when influenced by heat. It is a peculiarity of high explosives that they decompose with a much higher speed than low explosives, thus exerting quicker and more disruptive actlons than the slower and consequently more propulsive low explosives.

My improved blasting powders may, properly; be referred to as safety blasting powders, since they are safer for use under gaseous and dusty conditions, such as coalmining, than the current blasting powders, just as permissible high explosives are safer for use in coal-mines than straight nitroglycerine dynamites or gelatins.

As a'result of a very exhaustive study of many principles andextensive experimentation in following out these principles in a very large number of mixtures, I have been able to devise a series of blasting powders,

produce the desired decreasedtendencies to ignite inflammable gases and dusts ormixtures thereof, through their introduction into thechemical constitutions of blasting powders, of greater amounts of carbonand hydrogen in proportion with oxygen, to the extent of markedly decreasing the amounts of heat evolved by the decomposition reactions ofsuch compositions.

I have also found that metallic and am monium chlorides, such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, barium chloride, ammonium chloride and the like, produce the desired decreased tendencies to ignite inflammable gases and dusts or mixtures thereof, when in intimate contact with the decomposition reactions of blasting powder compositions,especially those including one or more carbohydrates,through their heat absorbing abilities.

dusts or inixtnres thereof, than the current commercial grades of blasting powders. That is, chargesof inyfsafetyr blasting povvders (lie'reinbefore defined)- thatiI am able to fire into certain inflan1n1able gasesi -andffdn'sts orinixtiires thereofijwithout ig-f '7 v nitingv them, are several times. the weight of current commercial blasting powder charges, :which will ignitethe same inflampgg V v y 1' It should be'expressly, understood that theunderlike conditions. 1

mable gases and idnsts or nixtnres thereof,-

1 scope of my invention is broad enoi ghi to 25 I "That'is; the saidxcooling ingredient, or-in,-

J include any nanner of introdnctionot'ithe cooling ingredients namely carbohydrates and metallic and ammoniumchlorides.

' gredients, may: be introdnced in various manners to suit conditionsg 'asfor instance,

actual incorporation v'vith the other ingredients orincorporation With'only a portion 'ofthe other ingredients orinc'lud ed asisep arate granules biit inixedkwitli' granules of the a other ingredients "or. Withthe grains" of; coiii 'inercial grades of blasting. poW'ders5 etc;

' It should alsoxbe, expressly understood -that the scopeofmy invention is not limited blasting powders. :That is, r the physical yform of said safetyblasting powders may v vary; inany manner whatsoever, to 3 Suit *COIIlIl'lBlClELl appl cation;gas" for instance,

V ranule llets, powders, cubesscylinder's', 'f'etc."v w I 1 in any practicable Snmmarizing',flmy fsafety' blasting-pow 'ders; consist of one or more carbohydrates quantity (preferably i froini 5: to 35%) and one-r, more inetallic orainnioninin;chlorides; (preferably "from 1 'to %.),Usedin combination or singly "Wltl'l practicable combinations 1 of lh metallic nitrates sulphur and materials that 3 are essentially carbon. "The use of metallic "chlorides broadly and sodium chloride .spe cifically has been made the subject;

7 United States'with the advantage of-being efi'ectivenesskiai d isafety.

tion relates specifically-1 to -the" e nployinent .of animoniuin chlori'de in. the relationfsetf: 1 forth; 1 he I H Other zin reaients ma ialso be addedto 6 within {the scope of my i1'1vention';}sncli as] V the 1 above" in iininor I quantities and still be organic or inorganic cornpouiids zltl at will 1 absorb heat through, the reduction o'toxygen' orby their volatilization during; the d'ecom f position react-ions or bytheir liberation of; 7 Water-: of crystallization grfcombination-of V fsuchcauses; 1 f

:My investigations *indicate" that-"I; vary the pliysical characteristics ofm'y i nproved safety b1a'stin'gfpoWders"..1through .1

variat'ion of f thei-rf densities; "granulations; physical'fornis; 'et'e.-,* and "produce similar effectiveness to the grades greas ng pow;

derSJ-"noW used in the; coal-mines "of the less'apt to cans'e'the Very; terrible goalmine disasters that occur heninflammable gasj and [dust mixtures, contained therein," are iigiiitedr: may. also seeifitto ,add'otlierifl 7 poxv so ingredients 'gto my; 2 fsafety 1 blasting) ders,'' Y as jher'einbefore,"defined, 'in forder f t produce the most desirable inb'nation o- If carried iii'tofettect, tliroiigh s iibstitntioii ofnthe abovedescribed safetyqblasiting poWders -for iall-Tthe; present: type rjf Qf so;

calledlblasting pow'dersQnsed in iAmerican 1' coal mines, n y invention willtoause lthe iinw V provenient, l e-reinbefore described; of 'over'i I: V 1 75.015 all the explosives, ised for Y blasting to any particulariphysioal" form-of safetyf (See United States 'Biireaii of Technical Paper '#340 page V '..=Havingi-described my; invention; 1What;I 1

A' i f I; 1'. An' explosive of-;th e .'cliaract er described consisting of -theconstituentsgof blackblasta and anirnoniuinj ;7

coal inithe UnitedStatesJi claim is z-i drates and rmm i to 15%;{of animoninn1 chloride: or

In testimony. Whereof'he alii'xes his signs; cure. V 1- separate The present 55 

